Children of the Jacaranda Tree

A Novel

Neda, Omid, and Sheida are just three of the many unforgettable characters in Sahar Delijani's startling debut novel. Set in post-revolutionary Iran from 1983 to 2011, it follows a group of mothers, fathers, children, and lovers, some connected by family, others brought together by the tide of history that forces its way into their lives. Finally, years later, it is the next generation that is left with the burden of the past and their country's tenuous future as a new wave of protest and political strife begins.

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These interlinked stories all relate to the characters in the first chapter of the book in which a woman gives birth in prison. Set in Tehran from 1983 to 2011, it relates the stories of the children of the prisoners of the 1980s. Although it is shaky in some respects (weak beginning, a little sentimental), overall this is a good book.

an almost harrowing read at times from Sahar Delijani's first novel which explores in grim detail life in Iran after the revolution for families who had a member imprisoned- which seemed to be for trivial reasons that often was not conveyed, explained or justified. The brutality of the regime knows no bounds in it's treatment of detainees and this is recorded in detail which was unsettling to say the least.

Cdnbookworm
Jul 12, 2013

This is the first novel by Sahar Delijani and draws from her own family history.
Azar and Ismael are taken to Evin prison when Azar is pregnant with their daughter. Neda is born while her mother is in prison. Parisa and her husband were eating dinner with their son Omid when the police came for them. Later, Parisa's sister Leila came for him, finding Omid sitting at the table surrounded by the violence of a search of the apartment. Omid's sister Sara was also born while Parisa was in prison. Their cousin Forugh also came to life with Leila and her parents after her birth. Her parents, Simin and Behrouz, Ismael's younger brother, were also in prison. There are many other children whose parents were imprisoned following the revolution; some were reunited, and other' parents never came out of Evin.
This is a novel not just of those times, the young people who felt betrayed after the revolution and were imprisoned for their passionate and dedicated belief in their country's future, but also of their children. Children who lost those early years with their parents; children who lost one or both parents entirely. Children who knew the truth of their history; children who were protected from the secrets of their parents' youth. Children who grew up in Iran; children whose parents took them out of their country in hopes of a better future. Children who now find themselves either participating in or observing another rebellion against the government. This is a story of Iran, its history, and its people.
I was able to meet Sahar Delijani and learn from her the makings of this story. Her own parents were imprisoned and she drew on the facts of their experiences and the experiences of other relatives and friends, but chose to tell her own story of the inner lives of those imprisoned. This is a story of two generations that love their country passionately, but don't always feel that their country is seen by the rest of the world as they see it.